Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 1, NWS State College, PA

June 1, 2012Lancaster County, York County, Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this tornado warning at Jun 1, 2012, 4:05 PM EDT for Lancaster County, York County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 40 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jun 1, 2012, 4:05 PM EDT (20:05 UTC)
Expired: Jun 1, 2012, 4:45 PM EDT
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS State College, PA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Lancaster County, PA, York County, PA

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 137 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:07 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jun 1, 4:26 PM EDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	1 N Shrewsbury, PA
Jun 1, 4:30 PM EDT	TORNADO	2 N Winterstown, PA	EF0. PATH 75 YARDS. WIDTH 25 YARDS.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jun 1, 1:50 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 134 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 26 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -174 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1061 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 148 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 174 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

310 
WFUS51 KCTP 012005
TORCTP
PAC071-133-012045-
/O.NEW.KCTP.TO.W.0001.120601T2005Z-120601T2045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
405 PM EDT FRI JUN 1 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE PA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL LANCASTER COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...
  SOUTHEASTERN YORK COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 445 PM EDT

* AT 403 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE STORM
  CONTAINING THE POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS NEAR BENTLEY SPRINGS...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  SHREWSBURY AND GLEN ROCK...
  STEWARTSTOWN...
  BROGUE AND SUNNYBURN...
  SHENKS FERRY AND SAFE HARBOR...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY.

THIS WILL IMPACT I-83 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 1 AND 7.

THIS WILL ALSO IMPACT ROUTE 222.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER INSIDE NOW. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO. MOVE
TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST LEVEL OF A STURDY BUILDING. PUT AS
MANY WALLS BETWEEN YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS YOU CAN. AVOID WINDOWS.
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4007 7637 3973 7611 3972 7618 3971 7624
      3972 7683
TIME...MOT...LOC 2005Z 229DEG 26KT 3971 7667

$$

FORECASTER: EVANEGO/GRUMM

1 follow-up statement

562 
WWUS51 KCTP 012030
SVSCTP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
430 PM EDT FRI JUN 1 2012

PAC071-133-012045-
/O.CON.KCTP.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120601T2045Z/
LANCASTER PA-YORK PA-
430 PM EDT FRI JUN 1 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN YORK AND SOUTH CENTRAL LANCASTER COUNTIES...

AT 420 PM EDT...A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED BY A STORM SPOTTER JUST 
NORTHEAST OF SHREWSBURY AROUND 425 PM. DOPPLER RADAR ALSO INDICATED
STRONG CYCLONIC ROTATION IN THIS AREA. THIS POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS 
LOCATED 4 MILES EAR STEWARTSTOWN...OR 5 MILES SOUTH OF RED 
LION...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
WINTERSTOWN AROUND 430 PM EDT...
FELTON AND DELTA AROUND 435 PM EDT...
SUNNYBURN AROUND 440 PM EDT...
BROGUE AND SAFE HARBOR AROUND 445 PM EDT...

ANOTHER POSSIBLE TORNADIC STORM WILL MOVE INTO FAR SOUTHWESTERN 
YORK COUNTY NEAR NEW FREEDOM BETWEEN 440 PM AND 450 PM. THIS STORM 
MAY FOLLOW NEARLY THE EXACT SAME TRACK AS THE LEAD STORM. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

PLEASE REPORT HAIL...STRONG WINDS OR WIND DAMAGE TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING TOLL FREE...1 8 7 7 6 3 3 6 7 7 2.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

&&

LAT...LON 4007 7637 3973 7611 3972 7618 3971 7624
      3972 7683
TIME...MOT...LOC 2025Z 213DEG 20KT 3980 7660

$$

FORECASTER: LAMBERT

The office that day

Everything else NWS State College, PA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 1, 1:57 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Franklin	48 min
Jun 1, 2:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon	57 min
Jun 1, 3:04 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Perry	41 min
Jun 1, 3:29 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	York	61 min
Jun 1, 3:34 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Lancaster, York	71 min
Jun 1, 4:33 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Lancaster, York	72 min
Jun 1, 4:38 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Franklin	52 min
Jun 1, 4:48 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Dauphin, Lancaster, York	3 hr
Jun 1, 5:02 PM EDT	Flash Flood Watch	CTP	Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata and 9 more	8 hr
Jun 1, 5:03 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Somerset	27 min
Jun 1, 5:18 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Lancaster	27 min
Jun 1, 5:22 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Bedford, Cambria, Fulton, Somerset	53 min
Jun 1, 5:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Franklin and 3 more	61 min
Jun 1, 5:49 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Lancaster	26 min
Jun 1, 6:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, McKean	54 min
Jun 1, 6:09 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Lancaster	2 hr
Jun 1, 6:15 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Lebanon	30 min
Jun 1, 6:24 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Blair, Cambria, Clearfield	2 hr
Jun 1, 6:29 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Lancaster, Lebanon, York	61 min
Jun 1, 6:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield and 7 more	67 min
Jun 1, 6:44 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	McKean	61 min
Jun 1, 7:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, McKean, Potter	54 min
Jun 1, 7:10 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	CTP	Lancaster, Lebanon, York	2 hr
Jun 1, 7:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Tioga	59 min
Jun 1, 7:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	CTP	Adams, Centre, Clinton, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton and 8 more	62 min
Jun 1, 7:48 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	CTP	Lancaster	57 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Pennsylvania, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes in 2012

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.